PROBLEMAdditive Manufacturing is an emerging technology, but despite the obvious benefits when adopting AM, a knowledge gap remains across the tooling industry. We have identified three common problems tool designers face when looking to adopt Additive Manufacturing for the first time:

»Designers may apply conventional or traditional design rules to conformal cooling designs.

»Designers may not have a clear understanding of the applicable design rules they should follow when designing for AM.

»Designers may not be aware of the mechanical loads and the potential negative impacts they may have on the tool.

voestalpine Additive Manufacturingwww.voestalpine.com/additive

Failure analysis, process & stress simulation are the base to optimize cooling channels

Failure analysis Process simulation

Design / Redesign

Stress simulation

Stress analysis of an optimized high pressure die casting tooling insert

SOLUTIONAs a solutions provider to the High Pressure Die Casting industry, we work closely with our customers to optimise tooling specifically for their production processes. If our customer has an existing production issue, our HPDC experts can perform failure analysis on the tool to determine the root cause. We put all of our know how into design, materials and printing to deliver maximum performance.

SUMMARYWhile many HPDC failure modes such as Soldering, Heat-Checking, and Erosion can be prevented by selecting a premium material such as BOHLER W360 AMPO, crack initiation often starts in areas with the highest mechanical stress loads. Only the right design, combined with the right material can deliver superior tool performance.

A TOOL FAILURE CAN HAVE MANY DIFFERENT CAUSES. A DEEP UNDERSTANDING

OF TOOL DESIGN AND MATERIAL PROPERTIES IS ESSENTIAL WHEN USING ADDITIVE

MANUFACTURING TO OPTIMIZE HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTING TOOLING.

HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTING

The Importance of Design for AM

331.3 0C

329.8 0C

Case 2: Part fail because of soldering and cracks which leads to a leakage in cooling system

Case 3: Part failed because of cracks

Case 1: Part failed because of cracks

voestalpine Additive ManufacturingHansaallee 32140549 Düsseldorf, Germany+49 211 522 2310additive@voestalpine.com www.voestalpine.com/additive

version – 09.2020

Failure analysis

Crack starts inside the cooling channel and insert failed due to high stress concentration

Failure analysis

Cracks initiated from the cooling channels lead to leakage and to part failure. Stress analysis showed the highest thermo-mechanical stresses exactly in the area where the crack started.

Previous design New design

Stress anylsis

thermo-mechnical stresses

Conclusion: stress concentration exactly where the crack startet

PROVEN CUSTOMER SUCCESS

less soldering and stresses

Results

The original design didn‘t minimize the stress level. Therefore the crack started from the area in the cooling channel with high stresses. Via redesign of the channels the stress could be significantly be reduced and the cooling even improved.

Competitor AM insert failed after 3.000 shots

Original

Original

Solution

Redesign - Stress was reduced by over 50%.

Results

Conventional Tool 1.2343: 20.000 shots

AM design competitor: 3.000 shots

voestalpine AM design: 60.000 shots

Optimized

Optimized

Results

Adjusted redesign to reduce the maximum stress by 20% while keeping the cycle time and cooling rate

350MPa 280MPa